<p>I'm mostly aiming for the top private universities and liberal arts colleges like columbia, chicago, yale, swarthmore, haverford, pomona... I'm looking for some safety schools though, any suggestions?</p>
<p>Extra information:
SAT 2270
GPA 3.97 (most rigorous courses, lots of APs)</p>
<p>financial aid isn't too much of an issue</p>
<p>preferably:
small class sizes
intellectual atmosphere, lots of students go off to graduate school</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>With your stats, there are too many schools that meet your criteria that are considered safeties.</p>
<p>yea sorry, I know my question is pretty vague. I suppose I’m asking, what are the best schools that are similar to the ones I listed that would be easier to get into?</p>
<p>It was understood the first time you asked- like I said, there’s too many schools.</p>
<p>Reed and Oberlin have admit rates over 30%. If you are humanities type St. John’s College in Annapolis would be a true safety.</p>
<p>[The</a> Colleges Where PhD’s Get Their Start | The College Solution](<a href=“http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/]The”>The Colleges Where PhD's Get Their Start)</p>
<p>I think any school with 25% or higher acceptance rate would be a safety for you.</p>
<p>What fields are you interested in? Some of these schools have excellent phD production rates in certain fields, but seriously lack in others. I wouldn’t recommend CWRU’s humanities program to someone who intends to do graduate work, but for the sciences and engineering, it’s an absolutely incredible school.</p>
<p>Brandeis
Hendrix
Grinnell
Case Western
Macalaster
Beloit
Occidental</p>
<p>The reality is, there are quite a few schools that can prepare you very well for graduate work. Take a look at where earth science students at Berkeley (a top school for the field) got their start: [EPS</a> Directory - Graduate Students](<a href=“People | Earth & Planetary Science”>People | Earth & Planetary Science) Take a look at where the art-history grad students at Columbia (a top school in the field) got their start [Current</a> PhD Students - Department of Art History and Archaeology - Columbia University](<a href=“Department of Art History & Archaeology | Columbia University”>Department of Art History & Archaeology | Columbia University) You’ll notice a wide variety of institutions, some top, some not, represented.</p>
<p>
When did a 1/4 chance become a safety?<br>
Reed is not a safety. Interest is used in admissions. My DD1 had similar stats and was waitlisted at Reed.</p>
<p>I would recommend having a rolling safety that will admit you early like University of Pittsburgh or Wisconsin, where they have an honors college. I would also recommend someplace like University of Rochester, which though not a true safety, would be more of the kind of school that you are looking for. St John’s College if pretty unique also, if the single great books curriculum appeals to you.</p>
<p>Also, applying to some schools early action like UChicago and Boston College creates a safety if you are admitted early.</p>
<p>A key is to do what Classicrocker said…lock in something early action…like a Northeastern or get lucky with a Michigan (schools that have so many apps they will care less about figuring out your true interest). Schools like Oberlin, Macalester, Grinnell, Kenyon, Rochester, Brandeis, Holy Cross, one of the top womens colleges, etc should be at least semi-safeties for you but don’t treat them like a safety or they may waitlist you. You most likely will get into at least a couple of your target/reach schools, but I’ve also seen kids with very high stats and very good overall profiles get shut out.</p>
<p>The problem with Reed being a safety for anyone is that GPA + test scores + rank together comprise only 20% of admission criteria; the rest is subjective.</p>
<p>Except Reed had a 47% admit rate this year. </p>
<p>[Reed?s</a> Acceptance Rate Rises: Admissions Seeks to Grow Applicant Pool - The Quest | The Free Press of Reed College](<a href=“http://www.reedquest.org/2013/04/reeds-acceptance-rate-rises-admissions-seeks-to-grow-applicant-pool/]Reed?s”>http://www.reedquest.org/2013/04/reeds-acceptance-rate-rises-admissions-seeks-to-grow-applicant-pool/)</p>
<p>Quite a change from 36% last year.</p>
<p>From the linked article:
I wonder how much of the increase was due to international admits?</p>